Tara teenager Laurissa Christie is back home after exploring Canada’s Far North.
Christie tells Bayshore Broadcasting News the Students On Ice Arctic Expedition far exceeded her expectations.
In fact, the 16-year-old says the 16-day journey in the summer has changed her life forever.
She says after seeing first hand the effects of climate change, she is now dedicated to living a greener life.
Christie says she was shocked to see sandy beaches in the Arctic – she even went swimming in water above the Arctic Circle.
The world-renowned scientists on the expedition with the students also showed them bare fjords where glaciers were twenty years ago.
Christie says while the trip was a very educational one, it was also a lot of fun.
She made a lot of friends with the dozen Canadian and 60 international students on board the research ship.
Christie says every day of the expedition was better than the one before, full of new experiences.
She says it’s hard to pick a favourite memory, but she did enjoy seeing Arctic wildlife such as bowhead whales and polar bears.
Christie – who is attending Grade 11 at St. Mary’s High School in Owen Sound – was the only student from Ontario selected to join the expedition.